Meeting You
Chapter 2
September 21, 2012-Brook, Indiana-Afternoon
Carly sat at her desk during her plan time. She was supposed to be grading papers, but found herself thinking about Nick instead. Daydreaming was more like it. It had been two weeks since Nick moved in next door. Each night after work, she found herself having dinner with Nick and the girls at Nick's place. It had become a habit, disturbing her how comfortable she was with him. Her cell phone started buzzing. Carly picked up her purse under her desk and fished it out of the front pocket. She looked at the screen and giggled.
Speak of the devil, it was Nick. His message read, "Are you busy?"
Carly quickly dialed the familiar number.
Nick's warm tone filled her ears. "Hello, beautiful. I have a favor to ask."
"Okay, shoot." She hoped her voice sounded casual enough.
"I'm finishing up most of the work on the store this weekend. Would you mind taking care of Nat this weekend?"
Carly hesitated before answering. "It's Bella's weekend with my ex-husband. I'd be glad to help out, but Natalie might be bored without Bella around."
"That's okay. Nat loves hanging out with you. It'll give her a chance to do girl stuff. She doesn't get a lot of time to do that since her mother left."
Carly beamed at the thought that Natalie truly liked her, but Nick wasn't playing fair by pulling the motherless child card. It tugged her at heartstrings, and he knew it.
"I like handing out with her, too. Having Nat around has been so great for Bella." She thought for a minute before continuing. "I could make dinner on Saturday night. I still owe you a dinner. You've been making dinner for everyone for so long now. It's the least I could do."
He stammered for a moment. "Uh...uh, sure. I'd like that, dinner for you, me, and Nat."
Carly cleared her throat and spoke. "It's okay if you don't want to. I understand."
"No, no, I think we got some wires crossed here. You caught me by surprise. It's not often that I get an offer like that from someone like you. We've got something... nice going here. I'm glad that Nat and I moved here and met the two of you."
Carly was glad that he couldn't see her blush. "Bella and I are lucky to know you, too. I'm glad that we agree."
Nick chuckled nervously. "Yeah, so I'll see you tonight?"
Carly smiled. "Absolutely. So, what's on the menu tonight?"
"What's your favorite meal?"
"Pork chops with mashed potatoes, salad, and those crescent rolls you make."
"As you wish."
Carly laughed softly. "Are you serious? I love that movie."
"How about we watch it with our girls after dinner?"
"It's a date. I mean...you know...ugh."
"Carly?"
"Yeah?"
"It's okay. I know what you mean."
"I'll make your favorite dinner on Saturday."
"It's a date."
Carly sighed. "Cute, Nick, real cute. Go ahead. Make fun of me. I'm hanging up now."
"But Carly..." He was cut off by the sounds of a click and telephone dial tone.
Natalie and Isabella rushed through the front door like a herd of buffalo.
"Hi, girls, how was school?"
"Great!" they replied simultaneously. They turned to each other. "Jinx. You owe me a soda." The two girls erupted in a fit of giggles.
The girls walked into Nick's kitchen for the usual after-school snack. Chocolate chip cookies and milk became the norm since that first day. Bella noticed Nick unpacking and putting away groceries. Fresh pork chops were placed in the refrigerator. Shake 'n Bake seasoning mix was on the counter. Leafy green lettuce, a fresh new bottle of ranch dressing, a small basket of mushrooms, hard boiled eggs, and chopped ham were set onto the refrigerator shelves. Bella knew something was up, especially when Nick put a bag of frozen mashed potatoes in the freezer.
She grinned. "You're making my mom's favorite meal, aren't you?"
He returned the smile, putting his hands up in mock defense. "Guilty as charged. I thought that your mom might like it." He turned his attention to Natalie. "Listen, kiddo, I have a lot to do to get the store ready to open. You're going to spend the weekend with Carly. She's making us a special dinner on Saturday night. How does that sound?"
Bella cut in. "But I'm at my dad's this weekend!"
"I know. The timing stinks, but I need to do this. Your mom will give Nat some girl time. With Nat's mom gone, she doesn't get much of that with a mom." He hugged Bella and spoke to her soothingly.
Natalie was very quiet during the conversation.
Bella took her by the arm. She turned back to Nick. "We have a project to work on. Can we go back to my house for a little bit to go get some stuff?"
"Sure. Don't be too long. If you get all your homework done, I'll let you help with the cooking." He kissed his daughter on the forehead.
Bella pulled Natalie away. She fumbled with her keys to get inside. Once she unlocked the door, she locked it behind them. Bella fled upstairs to her room with Natalie at her heels. Bella was breathing hard as she plopped down on the floor next to her bed.
"What was so urgent that you rushed here like your room was on fire?"
"Shut the door in case my mom comes home early."
Natalie shut the door quickly. "Geez, what's up with you?"
Bella's eyes lit up with excitement. Her mouth curved into a soft smile. "I've got the most amazing idea, well, a plan."
Natalie sat down on the floor next to Bella, listening attentively. "Okay, what's this amazing plan?"
"How about I get my dad to agree to let you come with us for the weekend?"
"Okay, but my dad made plans with your mom."
"Exactly!"
"What?"
Bella bounced excitedly. "Don't you get it? Your dad is going out of his way to make my mom's favorite meal. You've only been here for two weeks, and your dad asked my mom to take care of you for the weekend. It's like a mother-daughter thing, only she's not your mother."
Natalie's eyes scanned Bella's face before reacting. "If it bothers you, I can tell my dad that I want to stay home this weekend."
Bella raised her hand up. "No! Don't you dare! Let me explain some more. My mom and I eat dinner at your house every weeknight. Your dad is taking care of me at your house after school. This happened without even a conversation. They fell into this routine naturally. They like each other, Nat. They like like each other."
Natalie's eyebrows drew together. "Do you think so?"
"Yeah, I do. All we need to do is push things along. They'll fall in love, get married, and we'll be sisters." Bella's voice rose with eagerness. She could hardly stay seated, looking as if she would leap up at any minute.
"It's a nice plan, but what if they don't fall in love? We can't make them fall in love? We can't make them fall in love."
"Haven't you been listening? They've already started without us." Bella changed her sharp tone, hugging Natalie. Natalie looked like a whipped puppy. "All we need to do is give them a little push. We're just helping them. And I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I think that it would be awesome to be sisters. Can you imagine living in a house like a real family with two parents who love each other? I don't know about you, but I didn't see that growing up. My mom and dad just went through the motions, and then finally fought like World War III."
Natalie nodded in agreement with tears in her eyes. "It was worse with my parents. They hate each other. I don't have any good memories of them together at all."
Bella's eyes teared up as tears ran down Natalie's cheeks. She put her hand gently on Natalie's arm. "That's all the more reason to help my mom and your dad find love. They deserve some happiness, and so do we."
Natalie wiped her eyes with a tissue from Bella's dresser. "Okay, so what's the first step of your plan?"
Bella grinned. She felt excitement building up again. It was like electricity flowing through her whole body. This had to work. It just had to. "I'm gonna call my dad. We won't say anything about you coming with me to my dad's until Friday night. I'll call my aunt Ivy to help us." She paused for a minute to think. "We are not going to do anything that will make my mom cancel that special dinner on Saturday night. We're gonna make sure that the dinner is perfect and romantic. Deal?" Bella held out her hand, and Natalie shook it with a matching grin.
"Deal," she confirmed.
Bella picked up the cordless phone off her bedside table and dialed her father's number. "Hi, dad! How are you doing?" Bella began.
"Great, kiddo. How's school? Your mom said that you've had a hard time adjusting to junior high."
"Things are better now. Remember that I told you about Natalie. She's my best friend now. I'm calling to ask if she can come with us this weekend. Please, Daddy!" Bella converted her voice from mature to her younger, sugary sweet self.
It was hard for Levi to resist his daughter when she did that. "I don't know, Princess. I was hoping to get some time for just you and me. Grandma and Grandpa are dying to spend time with you, too."
"But Daddy, I told Natalie all about how great the farm is! Please! I'll wear a dress to church on Sunday and sing with the choir. I know how much Grandma likes that."
"Okay, you talked me into it."
"Yes!" Bella leaped up and started doing her happy dance. Natalie jumped up to try the dance, too. Both girls giggling with delight.
"Hey, kiddo, I'm still on the phone," Levi called out through the receiver.
"Sorry, Dad, I got carried away," Bella said sheepishly.
"Make sure that everything is cleared through your mom and Natalie's parents before I come on Friday. I'll pick both of you up as long as your mom gives me the okay."
"She will. I love you and I really miss you."
"Princess, you are so loved. Grandma, Grandpa, and I have missed you so much! We can't wait to see you."
"Me, too, Dad. I missed you as soon as I got back home. We're going to have so much fun and I promise to stay out of trouble."
"Good to hear. Bye, kiddo."
"Bye."
Bella took out two pieces of paper and the two girls began to brainstorm more ideas for the plan.
The girls helped Nick set the table and bring the food out from the kitchen when Carly arrived after work.
She hugged Bella and greeted both Natalie and Nick before collapsing into a chair. "It's been a long day. I graded almost eighty vocabulary tests and almost sixty percent of the students failed. I have to reteach the unit all over again."
Nick walked over to Carly's chair and began rubbing her shoulders. "You're home now, so why don't you relax and leave your cares and concerns at the door. Enjoy a nice home-cooked meal."
Nick's strong fingers kneaded through the tension in her shoulder. Carly began to relax. A feeling of calm washed over her.
"Better?" He leaned over to speak softly in her ear.
"Mmm, hmm." The response escaped her lips before she could stop it. His husky tone had the opposite effect. She tensed up with a growing sexual awareness his manly scent, inviting voice, smooth skin, and purposeful strength. She pulled away from him. "I'm much better. All I need now is some food. I'm starving."
She smiled sweetly at him so he wouldn't think that she was rejecting him. If he had any reaction to her pulling away, he didn't show it. They were too distracted to notice Bella and Natalie's reaction. The girls eyed them with keen interest. Bella winked at Natalie when she saw her mother responding to Nick's touch. Natalie beamed nodding at Bella. Nick filled Carly's plate. She flashed him a grateful smile. The four of them sat down to dinner and conversation. It had been the closest thing to a normal family that they had for a long time.
Carly's cell phone started to ring. "I'm sorry. I have to take this." She answered the call quickly after glancing at the caller i.d. "Hello?"
"Hey, I came by to have dinner with you guys, but you're not home. Where are you? Your car is in the driveway."
"Bella and I are next door having dinner with the neighbors."
"What about me? I haven't seen you in so long."
Carly pulled her hand away from her ear, covering the mouthpiece. She looked at Nick pointedly. "My sister came by to have dinner with Bella and me. Can I invite her over here to eat with us? Is there enough food?"
Bella's eyes lit up with excitement. "Aunt Ivy is here? Please let her come over, Nick. She's the coolest!"
"Hey, what about me?"
"You're my mom. Aunt Ivy is fun and her life is just more exciting."
Carly rolled her eyes. "She flutters around from job to job, hoping to find herself."
"Hey, I heard that. The fact is that you're a mom and that's uncool by definition," Ivy blasted from the phone.
Nick covered Carly's hand with his. "She's your family so she's more than welcomed."
Carly sighed before talking to Ivy again. "Come on over. You can meet Nick and his daughter."
"Be there in less than a minute."
The doorbell rang. Bella and Natalie jumped up and ran to the door to answer it. The door swung open, and Bella hugged Ivy excitedly.
Bella turned back to Natalie. "This is my Aunt Ivy." She began introductions. "Aunt Ivy, this is my new best friend, Natalie." The three walked into the dining room. "This is Natalie's dad, Nick."
Nick stood up to shake her hand. "It's wonderful to meet you. Sit down." He pulled a chair out for her.
Ivy sat down. She eyed Carly and Nick before sending a conspiratory wink to Bella. She glanced at the food on the table before serving a plate for herself. "Carly's favorite meal, I'm impressed."
Carly's face turned crimson. "Knock it off, Ivy."
Nick started a casual conversation with Carly's sister, learning more about Carly and her family, including her ex-husband. Ivy's face revealed mixed feelings on that subject. It was obvious that the only animosity in the family was between Carly and Levi. Bella diverted her aunt's attention as she spoke enthusiastically about school and friends.
Carly spoke up. "So, how're things going with Trevor?"
Ivy answered in a monotone voice, devoid of emotion. "We broke up."
Carly gave her a worried glance. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"
Ivy rolled her gray eyes and shrugged her shoulders. Her long red hair fell off her shoulders onto her back. "I'm fine. I'm an independent woman like my sister."
Carly continued to give her sister a worried look.
After dinner, Bella scurried with Ivy and Natalie upstairs to Natalie's room with the excuse of getting help on homework. Nick and Carly sat on the couch, each with a glass of wine.
"I like your sister. She's a lot like you."
Carly shook her head and laughed it off. "No way. You heard them. I'm not cool. I'm the boring sister and she's the exciting one."
Nick put his arm around Carly gently. "I remember you in high school. You were full of life. Now, you're just as lively, but in a different way. That sparkle in your eyes is still the same."
She laughed again. A blush filled her cheeks again. "You, my friend, have had too much wine. That's the wine talking. We didn't know each other in high school."
His blue eyes captured her green ones. She saw the intensity in his.
"Even if you didn't know me, I certainly knew you. You ran with the popular crowd. Everyone knew you."
Her soft smile twisted into a frown. "That was because of Levi. I should've known better. I walked away once and put him behind me. If it wasn't for Bella, I never would've taken him back into my life or married him. I like being who I was in high school, not who I pretended to be. Nobody knew me and I never knew who really was my friend."
"But we're all grown up now."
"Yeah, and I like my life now. Levi lives about an hour and a half away. That's made things easier."
"What about Bella? Doesn't she miss her father?"
Carly took Nick's hand. "Let's get some coffee in the kitchen. This requires some privacy." She put a pot of coffee on. "I'm going to tell you something that no one else knows, okay?"
